The same act of the Legislature which directed the organization of
Clinton County (approved January 29, 1830) provided
that the county seat should be selected by a commission composed of
Robert Taylor, Henry Restine, Hugh B. McKeen,
John Cane and Jeremiah J.Corbaly. After due deliberation they decided
to accept the proposition of John Pence,
which was to donate sixty acres of land and $100 in money if they would
locate the county seat on his land. Accordingly
John Pence became the proprietor of the town of Frankfort, which was
surveyed and laid out May 9, 1830. In the chapter on Early History of the county has
been given the orders of the Board of Commissioners
for clearing the public square and surrounding four streets, and the
erection of the first court-house and jail,
in 1831 and 1832. Before this, however, William Douglass, County Agent,
had held several public sales of lots in
the new town. The first of them was on Monday, July 12, 1830, when
fifty five lots were sold. The following list
shows the purchasers, the numbers of the lots and the amounts paid for
them.

Name

No.

Amount

Name

No.

Amount

Jesse Guthrey

17

$15.75

J. T. Wilds

33

$68.00

Henry Young

18

$15.00

Moses Williamson

39

$19.00

Joseph McClelland.

24

$45.50

Moses Williamson

40

$39.50

Pleasant Field

25

$51.00

David Young

38

$10.00

Eli Armantrout

28

$40.00

Andrew Thompson

36

$18.12 1/2

Henry Young

29

$40.00

Henry Young

35

$18.50

Beal Dorsey

32

$66.00

Matthias Young Sr

34

$31.50

N.T. Catterlin

30

$23.00

Matthias Young, Sr.

60

$50.00

David Young

31

$19.00

Henry Young

59

$28.50

Perry S. Timmons

27

$17.50

William Delvin

58

$13.75

William Pence

26

$25.00

S. D. Maxwell

57

$10.01

Taylor Heavilon

23

$19.00

David Kennedy

56

$21.00

Wesley Harnsberger

22

$11.00

George Michael

52

$38.00

William Ferguson

19

$10.50

J. Timmons

55

$30.50

Charles Kinnear

10

$17.50

George Nichols

53

$46.50

Henry Young

11

$15.00

William Pense

51

$46.50

Thomas McClure

13

$90.50

William Douglass

5

$40.00

John Longfellow

14

$67.50

Arthur Compton

6

$33.00

Samuel Alley

15

$64.25

Henry Young

7

$16.00

Matthias Young, Jr

16

$85.00

John Dunkin

8

$11.75

Uriah Hodgen

12

$22.00

Henry Young

2

$10.06 1/4

S D Maxwell

41

$120.25

Arthur Compton

3

$16.25

Samuel Mitchell

42

$85.25

John Dunkin

4

$16.50

William Taylor

45

$36.00

Johnson Irwin

9

$25.00

William Hodgen

47

$26.00

Mordecal McKinsey

49

$12.12.1/2

Matthias Young, Jr.

48

$28,25

Taylor Heavilon

50

$14.00

Matthias Young, Sr.

46

$35.00

William Delvin

62

$15.25

Jesse Carter

61

$24.75

Total

55

$1,772.32 1/4

The second sale occurred October 25 following and
these were sold:

Name

No.

Amount

Name

No.

Amount

Wesley Harnsberger

69

$10.25

Peter Fudge

78

$26.00

Abraham Harnsberger

70

$10.12 1/2

William Douglass

79

$30.00

John Harland

72

$10.50

Jacob Pence

80

$46.50

John Harland

73

$22.37 1/2

John Douglass

81

$40.00

John Harland

74

$21.25

Nicholas Pence

82

$38.00

Wesley Harnsberger

71

$10.12 1/2

Amos D Mills

83

$27.50

Abraham Aughe

75

$12.25

Abraham Aughe

84

$27.25

Abraham Aughe

76

$18.00

Abraham Aughe

77

$30.75

Total

16

$380.88

A third sale produced the following results

Name

No.

Amount

Name

No.

Amount

Benjamin Bedorthy

85

$15.50

Mathias Young Sr.

113

$10.62 1/2

Geo W Ryan

86

$12 00

John Ryan

114

$10.25

J.T. Wilds

88

$13.50

Mathias Young Jr.

115

$10.12 1/2

William Douglass

89

$11.00

John Pence

116

$22.25

William Pence

100

$11 25

William Pence

117

$12.25

William Pence

101

$24.25

William Douglass

123

$10.06 1/4

Joseph Douglass

102

$26.00

Abraham Aughe

132

$10.18 3/4

John Pence

104

$32.50

Jacob Harnsberger

133

$10.06 1/4

Matthias Young, Sr

105

$27.25

John Allen, Jr

134

$12.00

Matthias Young, Sr.

106

$24.00

Jacob Bline

135

$21.37 1/2

Henry Young

107

$22.50

Jacob Pence

136

$23.00

J T Wilds

108

$28 25

William Pence

137

$28.75

David Young

109

$18.25

William Douglass

138

$16.25

William Douglass

110

$13.25

J.T. Wilds

140

$10.12 1/2

Harrison Taylor

111

$13.31 1/4

John Douglass, Sr

112

$14.50

Total

30

$557.62 1/2

The term of sales were: One third in cash, one
third in twelve months, and the final third
in two years.

I first building erected in town of Frankfort was a log cabin built by
Colonel Samuel D. Maxwell, on the lot now
occupied by the Paris Block. Colonel N. T. Catterlin sold the first
goods in the village. Other early merchants
were John H. Dunn, John McLain and Isaac Claypool.

The first hotels were kept by Samuel E. Halliday, Samuel Mitchell and
Thomas McClure. In this branch of business
great improvement has been made. The Coulter House, finished in 1876,
reflects much credit upon its owner and builder,
J. H. Coulter, showing him to be a man of much enterprise. The building
was erected at a cost of $15,000. It is
complete in every department, having all the modern improvements.

The new county seat made very slow progress, and for quite a number of
years Frankfort was almost at a standstill.
There was little change in this respect the population increasing
very slowly until the year 1870. At that time
the population numbered 1,300.

As we have stated elsewhere, on the 14th day of October, 1870, the
first train of cars was run into Frankfort.
This marked a new era in the history of the town. Soon her railroad
connections were such as to enable her to compete
favorably, in a business point of view, with the leading towns and
cities throughout the State. The scene suddenly
changed. Business in all departments revived, her population began
rapidly to increase, and in the past sixteen
years has swelled from 1,300 to nearly 5,000. A person acquainted with
Frankfort twenty years ago, on visiting
the thriving city of 1886, would scarcely recognize, in the staid old
town of that date, the air of a city which
she now justly assumes. The various branches of trade and the
professions have been well represented, and have
always shown a lively, enterprising spirit.

It is an old saying that the country makes the town. If this be true,
then Frankfort has before her a brilliant
future, and is destined to be a town of much importance, as it is in
the center of one of the best agricultural
regions in the State.

The spirit of public enterprise, which characterizes her citizens, is
highly commendable. We are not indulging
in idle remarks, bat uttering a truth, when we say that in no city of
the same size and age in Indiana can a better
class of business houses and dwellings be found.

Owing to the fact that wood, coal and such material is easily reached
from this point, manufactories thrive splendidly.
From present indications we indulge in the assertion that at no distant
day Frankfort will be a manufacturing city
of no little importance.
The town was incorporated at an early day, but the charter was allowed
to die out for a number of years. In 1875
it was incorporated as a city, and at the first city election, held
December 21, 1875, the following officers were
elected, viz.: Mayor, P. W. Gard; Clerk, William M. Comley; Treasurer,
James A. Seawright; Marshal, I. C. Hurst;
Assessor, William P. Ashley; Councilmen, Robert P. Shanklin, T. J.
Holdridge, John Thacher, B. F. Cohee, George
A. Smith and R. G. Penetiel.
The city officers elected May 2,1876, were: S. O. Bayless, Mayor;
William Hines, Clerk; J. A. Seawright, Treasurer;
E. D. Neves, Marshal; El wood Avery, M. J. Swan, D. W. C. Bryant and J.
A. Petty were elected to the council; J.
R. Brown, City Civil Engineer. The officers for 1877 were the same with
one new councilman elected, G. D. Halliday.
No change was made in 1878. In 1879 the following men were elected to
the city offices: S. O. Bayless, Mayor; M.
R. Hines, Clerk; P. J. Kern, Treasurer; T. J. Hoover, Marshal; J. D.
Fritz, M. J. Swan, J. Thatcher, J. A. Petty,
P. W. Gard, G. D. Halliday, J. A. Seawright and D. A. Coulter,
Councilmen; G. D. Halliday, Street Commissioner.
The only changes in 1880 were J. H. Gaddis was elected Clerk; G. W.
Bird, Marshal; J. W. Lee, Sanford Brown, D.
T. Anghe, Conncilmen. There were no changes in 1881. In 1882 Cyrus
Clark became Mayor; Charles E. Morris, Clerk;
J. M. Gentry, Treasurer; O. E. Brumbaugh, Attorney; D. W. Osborne, T.
C. Dolby, J. Cook and J. T. Harper became
Councilmen. In 1883 H. C. Eldridge and Q. A. Kennedy were elected to
the council. In 1881 O. E. Brumbaugh was elected
Mayor; H. C. Sheridan, Clerk; A. Thatcher, Marshal; D. P. Blake and E.
M. Duffy to the council. The changes of
1885 were W. D. Epperson elected to the council, and J. T. Hockman,
Attorney.
The officers elect for the present year (1886) are: J. Q. Bayless,
Mayor; J. M. Brafford, Clerk; A. H. Coble, Treasurer;
B. H. Higginbotham, Attorney; J. E. Southard, Street Commissioner;
Joseph Dunlap and J. S. Van Arsdel elected to
the council; A. A. Thompson, Assessor.
Frankfort is pleasantly laid out, and much good taste is shown by its
citizens in the erection of their residences
by the selection of modern and beautiful architectural designs. We here
give the name of the streets which have,
with hardly an exception, been beautifully adorned by the planting of a
row of shade trees on either side, and
which have been graded and graveled in an excellent Those running
east and west, south of the square, are
Clinton, Walnut, Wabash, South, Boone and Armstrong; running south from
Clinton are Webster, Clay, Harrison, Prairie,
Jackson, South Main, Columbia, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and
Doyal; those running east and west, north
of the square, are Washington, Morrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Earner,
Paris, Green, Palmer and Kyger; running north
from Clinton are Clay, Harrison, Prairie, Jackson, North Main,
Columbia, Gentry, John, Bunnell, Doyal and Brown.

FRANKFORT PUBLIC
SCHOOLSBY PROF. RICHARD O.
BOONE

The educational interests of Frankfort, no less
than her industries and her trade, present
evidence of rapid but substantial growth.
Prior to 1865 the public schools of the town were such as might then
have been found in scores of similarly situated
villages throughout Indiana. The accommodations were very meager, but,
considering the limited population, fully
up to the wants of the time and place. A one-story brick building,
still standing on the corner of Columbia and
Ohio streets, and now used for a dwelling, furnished what was then
thought to be the needed public show of free
education. Schools were in session about four months of each year. Few
teachers were continued longer than one
term, but the " village teacher " was the best to be had in the county.
The school built better than it knew. As the town grew in population,
school interests gained in influence. Young
men and women from the rural districts began to look forward to a term
in the village. Soon the accommodations
were found inadequate to the needs of the increasing number of pupils.
In 1865 the population was about 850. The place had no railroad
connections with neighboring towns, however, and
so moved slowly in matters of public enterprise. But with the growing
prospect, educational interests were taking
more definite shape, receiving more general support, and so re-acting
favorably upon society and trade.
Mr. Enos Hoover, the efficient township trustee of the time,
recognizing the urgent demands of the school population,
prepared to erect a building that should afford ample room. For the
existing need, it was a stately structure.
It was two stories, of brick, in fine location, and in four large rooms
afforded abundant accommodations for the
school population. The cost of the building was about $5,000. Mr.
Hoover deserves honorable mention as a pioneer
trustee who was too honest in his trust, too faithful to the future
interests of his public charge, not to see
the great reward of his educational service in a prosperous school
system of the future, worthily built, and patronized
by a people proud of its growth and its results.
In the autumn of 1865 Mr. E. H. Staley took charge of the schools in
the new house, effected a partial grading
and did a great work for the now growing town. Not the least valuable
of the influences exerted by the schools
under this administration was the strong and wholesome sympathy in
educational progress diffused throughout the
county. Boys and girls from the rural districts of Clinton County, and
even from the adjoining counties, were induced
to attend, and the higher departments in the "town school " were known
to all the people as the "
academy." It sent out teachers, prepared young men for college,
cultivated habits of good reading, and made
Frankfort, in short, a kind of suburban center of more than average
school culture.
All this was done, however, at much disadvantage. Frankfort stood
alone. Industrially and socially she was isolated.
The town had grown both in population and business enterprise, but not
till 1870 was it given that one essential
means to modern commercial fellowship with one's neighbor the
railroad. It was now connected with Logansport
and near points on the north, and with Crawfordsville, Indianapolis and
the central parts of the State, south.
With these bonds of union with adjoining towns and cities, came an
effort to do better for herself educationally.
Knowledge of others' attainments is the source of much wholesome
discontent. Not only were more children available,
as shown by the census, but an increased per cent, of the school
population coveted these school facilities. The
school was popular. The once commodious brick " seminary," the pride of
town and county, became too small.
Something must be done to meet the demand.
The eight years from 1865 to 1873 had compassed a period of noticeable
improvement. The city had doubled in population.
The school census was correspondingly increased. The schools were
running at a disadvantage. They were imperfectly
classified, and so lacked uniformity in their discipline and
instruction. The public funds were limited, and school
was "free" for but six months annually, being extended, however, three
months, occasionally, with private
tuition. But from a want of a well-defined course of study the several
departments were more or less disconnected,
and the good results of the school were individual rather than general.
In 1873 a new School Board was appointed, consisting of Samuel Ayers,
for one year; D. P. Earner, for two years;
Jas. H. Paris, for three years. Preparations were commenced at once for
the erection of a new school building.
The interests, both business and educational, of the now rapidly
growing city demanded more and better school accommodations.

Neighboring cities were visited by members of the board and by
citizens; school buildings were inspected; architects
were consulted; plans were drawn up and discussed; and no email care
was taken, by the secretary especially (to
whom was left in great measure the preparation for the coining work,
and to whom much credit is due), to make and
submit a structure that should serve the city fittingly.

The site chosen was the square south of Wabash and west of Third
streets, occupied by the building erected in 1865.
The grounds were admirably situated and handsomely arranged. The house
was a stone-faced brick structure, three
stories high, and erected at a cost of $30,000. Mr. Eppinghauser, of
Terre Haute, was the architect and showed
himself a master workman. The building contains ten school-rooms, with
seating for 600 pupils, and an assembly-room
with a capacity of 450 . It is furnished throughout with single seats
and the usual modern conveniences.

The readiness with which the citizens responded to the judgment of the
trustees and acquiesced in the large outlay
of funds for school purposes suggests their appreciation of educational
privileges.
The establishment of a school is a turning point in a community's life.
It marks an epoch of unusual growth. It
forecasts progress. It is the exponent of a helpful unrest. In a sense
every school is a college; it takes the
first and most important step in higher culture. "The People's
Colleges" is no mere name. It is a vigorous
social force. It is one of the moneyed institutions of American
society. Frankfort had a profound respect for its
influence in a community, and an unshaken confidence in its future. The
new school was to be for the public, altogether
free, and made equal to the best. Here was an enterprise in which all
were concerned.

In the winter of 1873- 4, during the erection of the new house, 110
public schools were maintained. The instruction
of Frankfort children for the year was given in schools supported and
managed by private enterprise. The public
funds were allowed to accumulate preparatory to the formal opening of
the new school the following year. No considerable
number of children, however, were collected. The term was short. The
work of different teachers was without uniformity;
there was no central control and the school facilities were merely
better than none.
The building having been completed during the summer of 1874, the
school was thrown open to pupils and formally
organized the 21st of the following September. Mr. J. E. Morton was the
first superintendent. He was assisted by
eight room teachers, as follows: Freeman Cooper, Mrs. F. R. Morton,
Miss Mary Magee (now Brumbaugh), Miss Nannie
I. Alley, Miss Alice Marsh, Miss Mattie Shortle, Miss Belle M.
Montgomery (now Van Sickle) and Miss Linnie Slayback.
With admirable forethought on the part of the superintendent, the work
of classification had been done before the
opening day. The course of study was arranged to cover eight years in
the grades and three years in the high school.
Free tuition was afforded for nine months in the year. The beginning
was fair and showed wise foresight. As might
have been expected, however, the bringing together and working in
harmony of 400 students, under an entirely new
administration and new system, was not effected at once, nor easily.
Nine months accomplished much. For the first
year 345 pupils were in average daily attendance; 475 pupils were
enrolled. The school met with occasional opposition,
but not such as to subject it to any considerable hindrance.
In June, 1875, Mr. D. P. Earner, whose term of office expired, was
succeeded by Mr. S. H. Doyal. Mr. Earner had
lent the school much personal as well as official aid, and transmitted
to his successor a record of integrity and
devotion to his public charge. Samuel Ayers had been reappointed the
previous year.
The accession of Mr. Doyal to trusteeship marked the beginning of a
prosperity for the Frankfort schools worthy
of permanent note, and to which reference will again be made.
Prof. Morton was re-elected to the superintendence in 1875. In
September of this year the " Frankfort High
School " was organized, under the direction of Prof. C. S. Ludlam. This
gentleman was a graduate of the "Wesleyan
University, at Bloomington, Illinois, came highly recommended, and,
under trying disadvantages, entered upon a
period of labor, whose success in no wise lessened the estimation in
which the people received him. Prof. Ludlam
was a man of varied scholarship, of wide reading, of sterling integrity
of character, and easily adaptable to any
community. His four years of service in the high school marked him as
an indefatigable worker, a careful student
and kind friend to the young; his social relations were the most
pleasant and will long be remembered by the writer
as among the happiest and most profitable friendships of life. After a
lengthened illness, Prof. Ludlam died in
Omaha, Nebraska, February 19, 1882, aged thirty- two years.
The high school has done, and is destined to do, a valuable service in
the Frankfort educational system. At the
close of the second school year June 1876 six young ladies were
graduated, the first fruits of the new organization.
From the published report for the school year, 1875-'6, it appears that
555 pupils were enrolled in the several
departments, with an average daily attendance of 397.
For the school year beginning September, 1876, Superintendent J. E.
Morton was succeeded by Mr. R. G. Boone, Prof.
C. S. Ludlam being continued in the high school. Under the new
administration the high-school course was extended
to four years and the work of the grades revised. Text-books, except
readers, were not put in the hands of the
children before the fourth school year, and oral instruction made to
take their place. A course of lectures by
home and foreign speakers was planned for the year, and with the funds
thus obtained, together with voluntary donations
of books and money from interested citizens, and substantial assistance
from the Board of Trustees, steps were
taken to supply the school with a reference library. The first books
were put in January, 1877. To these were added
others by donation and by purchase until, at the opening of the fourth
school year, September, 1877, pupils had
access to 300 volumes.
At present writing (July, 1886) the library numbers about 1,000
volumes; consists chiefly of books of reference
(the school has nine sets of encyclopedias), and has proved an addition
of incalculable worth to school appliances.
The books are made available to students at all hours (of school),and
in all work. Students soon become adepts
in handling books, while the reference cultivates choice of expression
in writing or speaking, guides the reasoning,
appeals to the judgment, and, while it brightens the memory, destroys
the tendency to rely upon it. This last is
true in that if one have his information upon, a topic from a
half-dozen of authors, he will not easily recite
from the text of anyone. For this reason it seems that no kind or
amount of investment has done so much to make
thorough, original, diligent students as the money invested in
cyclopedias, histories, atlases, compilations, and
other books of reference and authority for the schools. During the same
year (1877) was begun the collection of
apparatus for the illustration of work in physical science.
In this connection reference may be made, appropriately, to the
services of Mr. S. H. Doyal. To him largely belongs
the credit of initiating and maintaining these supplementary means of
general school culture. A citizen of generous
social impulses, judiciously enterprising, possessed of a good private
library, he readily saw the rich benefit
of a school reference library. He made the organization of this
library, the choice of books, and the raising 'of
money a matterof personal concern. Through his influence, by a visit to
Washington, D. 0. (largely for this purpose),
the school was (is) supplied with the Government (official) History of
the Rebellion which, when completed, will
consist of about 100 volumes and will possess incalculable value; and
with the Smithsonian Reports, than which
nothing more valuable of the kind is published.
Mr. Doyal was a member of the board for six years (three terms) and is
one of the few trustees whose visits to
his charge were always profitable and always welcomed by pupils and
teachers.

The high school is one of the commissioned high schools of the State.
It has graduated sixty-eight pupils in ten
classes, and has had five principals: Prof. C. S. Ludlam, 1875-9; Prof.
J. F. Millspaugh, 1879-81; Prof. A. W.
Huycke, 1881-3; Prof. J. F. Warfel, 1883-4; Prof. C. E. Newlin, 1884-6.
Already, because of over-crowding in primary departments, pupils of
first year are admitted but half of each day.
The " half- day system " has occasionally, also, been extended to
second-year pupils. It has been found
beneficial in many respects. It effects a considerable saving in
expense, accommodates twice the number of pupils,
imposes shorter confinement upon the young, and secures a nearly equal
efficiency and extent of work to that from
full attendance.
In the ten years, 1876-86, the schools have grown from an enrollment of
550 to 1,049, from an employment of seven
teachers to twenty, and from the use of one school building to that of
four.

WARD BUILDINGS

The First Ward was originally set off in the summer
of 1882 and included that part of the city
then lying north of Ohio street the line of the L. E. & W. R. R.
The house erected on the corner of Gentry
and streets was a two-story brick structure, finished in stone and
completed January 1, 1883. it consisted of four
study-rooms, two teachers' rooms, and a large basement fitted up for
play-room. The first principal was Miss Ella
Dukes. She was succeeded, September, 1883, by Mr. W. P. Alexander. But
six months of school had passed under his
principalship when, on Monday morning, the 25th of February, about one
o'clock, the building was found completely
wrapped in flames.
Nothing could be done; everything was lost. No explanation was or has
been given of the fire. By combining some
grades and setting off the large school hall in main building into
smaller rooms, provision was made for the several
grades elsewhere, and the school work was completed as usual.
Steps were at once taken by the trustees to rebuild. The plan was
changed. Every effort was made to meet hygienic
requirements. Like the other, this building was two stories, of brick,
with high, dry, basement, and consisted
of four study-rooms. Unlike and superior to the other, it was
constructed upon the best approved plans of ventilation,
was heated by furnace (Ruttan system) from basement, and provided that
light in the schools should come only from
the rear. To meet this last condition, the rooms were placed diagonally
with the points of the compass. Pupils
being seated diagonally in the room faced the west throughout the
building, receiving the light over their shoulders.
It is believed there are no rooms better lighted. Mr. Alexander
remained in charge of this ward during the school
year 1884-5, and was succeeded by Mr. J.W. Hamilton, who was re-elected
for the year following.
The Second Ward, for school purposes, has just been, organized. It
includes all that part of the city lying east
of the Creek (Prairie Branch). The building, erected in 1886, is on the
same general plan as that of Ward I, has
eight rooms, and is one of the handsomest school-houses of the size in
the State. When completed it will seat 400
pupils.
Frankfort has now school seating for about 1,300 pupils, in four
comfortable buildings, representing, together
with their lots and furnishing, a valuation of about $50,000. The
general policy of the board has been progressive.
Much care has been exercised ia the selection of teachers, graduates of
the Frankfort High School and of the Indiana
State Normal School being given the preference. Annual reports have
been published by order of the board since
1875, with full statistics and announcements, from which may be
gathered a complete history of the schools.

The heartiest sympathy exists between the city and county schools,
officers and interests; and with the continued
support of the public, and with usually prosperous times, the Frankfort
schools will be a means of much usefulness
to the city.
The press and the school are two great civilizers of the age, and no
community can afford to live without the highest
possible development of their benign influences.

CHURCHES

Methodist Episcopal Church. The first regular Methodist preaching in Frankfort was
by Rev. Miles Ruffaker, then in charge of
what was known as the Huntersville Circuit, about 1831. On this circuit
Stephen R. Ball and Boyd Phelps were the
ministers in 1832-3, and James Armstrong was the presiding elder of the
Lafayette District. In the winter of 1832-'3
a movement was made to build a church, and in August, 1834, lot No. 77
(the present location) was conveyed to the
trustees for a building site. During this and the following year a
frame church 30 x 40 was built at a cost of
about $400. In 1836 Frankfort became the head of a circuit with twenty
to thirty appointments.
In June, 1851, a contract was let for building a new brick church
costing about $1,800. The building was finished
during the next year, and was formally dedicated February 20, 1853,
Kev. J. M. Stallard and Rev. Luther Taylor
officiating. In 1871 thig house was refitted and an addition made
thereto, at a cost of $3,600.
During the spring of 1883, while under the pastorate of Rev. W. H.
Hickman, the enterprise of erecting the present
building was projected, and at once entered upon. This church was
dedicated March 30, 1884. The new building is
in the decorated Gothic style of architecture, constructed of brick,
with stone foundations and trimmings; its
dimensions are 72x96 feet. The cost of the building completed and
furnished, including all incidental expenses,
was about $18,000. The Sabbath- school bore the entire expense of the
windows and, assisted in other items of furnishing,
amounting in all to about $800. The Ladies' Furnishing Society raised
and expended for carpets, chandeliers, altar
and pulpit about $1,100.
The first Sabbath-school was organized February 7, 1841, by Ancil
Beech, and at the first session there were present
about sixty in all. The first superintendent was Joseph Johnson. There
has always been much interest shown in this
organization and it now ranks foremost in the State under the
superintendency of Dr. Oliver Gard.
In 1848 the bell was purchased and placed in position, and on the 7th
of May, for the first time its clear, ringing
tones denoted the hour of divine worship. Previous to this the
Sunday-school had been called together by the blowing
of a tin horn. The church at the present time is in a very flourishing
condition and is made up of live and active
Christians who are ever awake to the duties imposed upon them.
We give here a list of all its pastors from its organization down to
the present time. They are as follows: James
L. Beloat, Thomas J. Brown, Joseph White, Ancil Beech, William Wilson,
Jacob Colclazer, Samuel Reed, Draper Chipman,
B. Blowers, Enoch Wood, James Johnson, Allen Skilltnan, Brinton
Webster, J. W. Parret, Luther Taylor, J. 0. Reed,
Francis Cox, P. I. Bis wick, Jesse Hill, Thomas Bartlett, G. W.
Stafford, G. W. Warner, Richard Hargrave, J. L.
Thompson, W. S. Harker, C. B. Mack, J. B. De Mott, E. H. Staley, Wilson
Beckner, W. M. Darwood, T. C. Stringer,
J. A. Clearwaters, N. L. Brakeman, William Graham, W. H. Hickman, J. N.
Beard, and the present pastor, Rev. J.
H. Hollingsworth.Presbyterian Church.
The church was organized in July, 1831, at the residence of Mr. John
Douglass, father of Jackson
Douglass, by Rev. James A. Carnahan, now of Dayton, Indiana, and Rev.
John Thompson, one of the professors at Crawfordsville.
As far as can be learned in the absence of the first records, which are
lost, there were sixteen members received
into the organization, viz.: John Douglass, Susannah Douglass, Colonel
"William Douglass, Samuel Mitchel,
Hope Mitchel, Joseph McClelland, Isabel McClelland, Samuel McQuern,
Mrs. McQuern, David Barnes, Mrs. Barnes, Rachel
Byres, John Gray, Sarah Gray, Samuel Douglass and Annie Douglass.
The little church was served a short season by Rev. James A. Carnahan,
and the succession of pastors has been as
follows, differing in length of service, the average being about four
years: L. G. Bell, Samuel Taylor, Robert
W. Allen, W. M. Stryker, John Van Dyke, C. A. Munn, E. Barr, W. P.
Kontz, J. W. Torrence, R. C. Colmery, and E.
Barr a second time, Rev. Moore and Rev. Dr. Simpson.
In 1833 or '34 the congregation built their first house of worship on
the lot now occupied by them, at a cost of
about $300. This was enlarged to about double its capacity in 1838, at
a cost of about $1,000, including the finishing
up of the older part, which had not before been either ceiled or
plastered.
In 1859 was dedicated a brick edifice, which had now succeeded the old
frame, at a cost of about $4,000. This has
given place to the beautiful new house, built in 1876, at a cost of
$19,000.
The growth of the congregation is marked by these repeated buildings,
and their respective costs. The church has
before it a very hopeful future of usefulness, numbering at this date
about 300 members.
In the spring of 1832 was organized a Sabbath-school, which is believed
to have been the first in the county. This
beginning in the county with the church was transferred to the town,
and has never been intermitted.
The average attendance for the past year has been about 200, with J. M.
Cast for its superintendent. The church
is without a pastor at the present writing. The church officers are J.
M. Cast, Thomas Lee, G. L. Kempf, A. Given,
R. P. Shanklin, R. M. Sims, and J. A. Seawright, Elders ; Samuel Ayers,
J. H. Coulter, W. H. Hart, Cyrus Clark
and E. W. Paul, Deacons; J. A. Seawright, Clerk; Samuel Ayers,
Treasurer.The Christian Church of
Frankfort was organized by Rev. Lewis Comer, at the house of John
Horland, south of town, in the
year 1830. The congregation held religious services at different
places, frequently meeting at the court-house,
until 1843, when a church building was erected at Frankfort.
Notwithstanding the church has labored under adverse
circumstances, they have held their organization in tact ever since. At
the .time the church was built here, the
membership numbered about fifty, but soon swelled to 800. It is now
about 175.
In 1872 the congregation erected a very neat frame building, fronting
on Jackson street. The church is now in a
growing and healthy condition, with one of the best Sunday-schools in
the county of about 120 scholars, of which
Frank McCowan is superintendent. The officers of the church are as
follows: Q. A. Kennedy and U. 0. McKinsey, Elders;
El wood Avery, John Lucas and William Kelly, Deacons; Dr. M. S.
Canfield, Treasurer and Clerk.

May 1, 1868, D. P. Barner, with his father, John Barner, engaged in the
banking business under the firm name of
D. P. Earner & Co., and the following January consolidated with the
firm of Coulter, Given & Co., forming
what was" known as the International Bank.
The First National Bank was organized
July 22, 1872, with a cash capital of $200,000,
and they bought all the interests of the International Bank. The first
president was W. R. Coulter, the second
was A. Given, and the third and present incumbent of that office is J.
H. Paris. At its organization D. P. Burner
was appointed cashier, which position he has held ever since,
performing the duties with much credit to himself
and to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors, who, at present, are
as follows: R. J. Coulter, A. Given, A.
B. Given, N. J. Gaskill, D. P. Barner, J. W. Coulter, D. F. Allen, Dr.
T. B. Cox and J. H. Paris.
Farmers' Bank. This institution was
organized in 1876, with Samuel Ayres as
its president, and Jackson Douglas as cashier. It has a cash capital of
$100,000, and receives a liberal patronage
from the surrounding country. The officers at the present time (1886)
are as follows: Robert McOlamroch, President;
D. A. Coulter, Cashier; W. H. Hart, Assistant Cashier; R. McClamroch,
R. P. Shanklin, Moses Do Camp, John Anderson,
S. M. Davis, Elwood Avery and D. A. Coulter, Directors.

BUSINESS
DIRECTORY.

The following is a summary of the present business men of Frankfort:
Agricultural implements and hardware, D. Bradley,
Coulter & Dinwiddie, William Gangwer, Paris & Sharp and

Frankfort has had local newspapers for nearly half a century, and is
now well supplied, having the Wednesday and
Saturday Crescent,
Wednesday and Saturday Banner,
Weekly Times,
Weekly Democrat, Weekly
Indianian and Daily
News.